


All I Want

by Kicchin



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Avengers Family, Domestic Avengers, F/M, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Idk how royalties works, Kid Peter Parker, Kind Loki, Loki and Thor Are Not Related, M/M, Magic and all those sht, Mentions of PTSD, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Peter is Tony's son, Protective Steve Rogers, Protective Tony Stark, Rating May Change, Ratings and tags may change, Stony - Freeform, Thorki - Freeform, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, idk how tagging works, mentions of mpreg, royalties
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-21
Updated: 2018-10-07
Packaged: 2019-06-13 23:31:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15375816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kicchin/pseuds/Kicchin
Summary: They say one cannot have it all, Steve realized this not too long after a demigod blesses him with immortality, through the years he had gone to see more of it's disadvantages. He had to live through every single one he loves to go before him, and each time they take a part of him with them to their grave. He told himself he couldn't have anymore of it and so he secluded himself, until one Prince of a fallen Kingdom marches into his life and flips every single rule he has set for himself along with his adorable son. Can he keep his heart still when the Prince and his child makes love sounds too tempting?





	1. Trouble in Iro

 

“But why?”

Steven Grant Rogers knew from the moment he conceived the thought this question would arise from his subjects. The King leaned back from his seat hands remaining clasped together on the strong marble table as his eyes shifts to Sam Wilson the dark skinned knight sitting on the right of the table raising an eyebrow. The man is the newest addition to his council but he has quickly earned the King’s respects with his loyalty and vast civilian knowledge.

Beside Sam Wilson, a beautiful lady with short red hair sips her tea, her alluring presence however does not equal her physical and combat prowess. Her name is Natasha Romanoff, the only lady born from her family since the end of the era of war. Her family has a history as long as the history of the King’s reign, they began as travellers looking for an asylum to a foreign land whose language they didn’t spoke. They brought the men of their family to the garrison, made them one of the most respected and _feared_ soldiers of the palace, and their women became spies for the Kingdom gathering intelligence and protecting the ways and ideals of the foreign kingdom to whom they’ve found their peace. The era of war has ended long ago for the Kingdom of Acrimea, and her family had rested their weapons but she remained close to the King’s side, the man wishing no less but the her knowledge and insight.

Across Natasha a critical eye looks at the King, icy blue eyes stares at Steve. Steve knows his friend, and Acrimea’s _White Wolf_ knew exactly the answer to Sam’s question but he decided to remain silent, leaving Steve to the explanation.

“We don’t have any responsibility to them since the era of war has ended.” Sam adds crossing his arms over his chest. “It seems unnecessary.”

Steve sighs and looks down on the stack of documents set beside his hands. It has been over a month since the former flourishing Kingdom of Iro fell from the betrayal. The Regent of the deceased King refused to give the throne to the rightful heir, the Prince and his supporters waged war which did not turn quite good for their Kingdom. The internal conflict caused severe damages and now the Kingdom has fallen.

The Kingdom of Iro is one of the biggest allies of Acrimea in the era of war, they made the indestructible armory of their fleet, and the King himself. Steve knew the former King personally, he is a good man with so much knowledge to share to the world and yet he chose to capitalized that. Steve had urged him to stop his works and focus on keeping peace amongst their people but he declined. Since then their ties had severely taken the blow.

The Kindgom of Iro renounced their alliance and kept to themselves, Acrimea didn’t mind but to Steve it felt like losing a piece of his past… _again_.

Being the Immortal King proves to have heavy disadvantages as time passes by, one has to go through similar pain all too often.

“Not really.” Natasha finally says making the knight look at her. She puts down her cup and sits up to look at Sam in the eyes then to the King. “In a way, Acrimea is not yet done with its duty to Iro so long as His Highness remains in the throne and a single Stark remains alive.”

“Stark?” Sam asks raising an eyebrow to Steve. “What do they have to do with this?”

“Everything.” The White Wolf, Bucky Barnes says.

Yes that is correct, Steve thought, Stark has everything to do with it. He remembers he was young when he met the King of Iro, he too was young yet many already bowed in respect for him. Howard Stark was a friend. He is one of the few people whom believed in Steve at the days when he was but a naïve and idealistic young man, new to the world and the truth that he is immortal. They’ve become acquainted and fought side by side until Steve became King himself.

Steve had become very close to Howard and his family, especially Lady Margareth Carter. Lady Margareth was Howard’s surrogate sister, a woman of strong will and passion. She was beautiful and wonderful, and Steve…Steve _loved_ her. And when tragedy took her too soon, he had pledged to protect the people whom she had left to honor her memories. This is a truth that very few knew, very few who are still alive.

Steve taps his fingers against the table, he counts the years in his head, twenty, thirty, forty…no seventy. It has been seventy years since he last saw anyone from the Stark’s family since the end of the era of war. He knew Howard died forty years after the end of the era and it took every piece of will he has not to come to Iro and see his old friend for the last time. He heard of his advisor taking over the Kingdom as a Regent as his only son has expressed his disinterest in the throne.

“I swore to Lady Carter that I would protect her family, the few people whom she loved most.” Steve tells them.

“Lady Carter? You mean the Iron Lady of Iro?” Sam asks.

Natasha chuckles and nods, “His Highness may or may not have a thing or two with her.”

Steve sighs and closes his eyes at Natasha’s jests. He had already gone pass getting used to Natasha quips, the Lady is quiet sharp with her words, Steve wishes to believe it is something she has acquired through the years of rearing from spies. She is simply good at picking at where it hurts the most, well it truly doesn’t hurt anymore.

Though it took very long until Steve had accepted Margareth’s death, it got better with time and time is exactly what Steve Rogers has so much of.

“For real?” Sam asks wide eyes, “That kick ass lady we read in history books is your _fling_?”

Bucky laughs, a mirth in his lips as he looks at Steve. Steve wants to groan in exasperation but he decides against it. The disadvantage of someone being able to keep up with your age is someone knowing the idiocy and stupidity you did as a young man.

“He wrote her letters.” Bucky adds making Sam laugh and Natasha smirk.

“We are getting off topic now.” Steve reminds them but that doesn’t stop the gleam of interest in their eyes.

Steve has a notorious reputation of being adamant on the prospects of romantic relationships. He lives a _very_ long life and to lose someone he loves _again_ is a risk he wishes not to go through again. It was better to have none than to have something and lose it anyways, that is what he told himself over and over again.

“Alright.” Natasha says, “So what are we going to do now with _this?_ ”

Steve takes a deep breath, apparently according to the reports upon losing to the Regent who is now the King of Iro, the Prince as traitor to Iro and had thrown him to an exile to the deserts of Goba. He has been missing since, many had conclude that the Prince is now dead and was simply thrown away in the vast land of sands and heat to hide his body but the Prince’s closest friend, Lord Rhodes petitioned help to Acrimea’s King citing the King’s promise to Lady Carter arguing that his friend, the Prince is alive though may not be well and must be found.

“We will look for him.” Steve says. “When he is found, we shall offer him shelter.”

“And if that causes war?” Natasha asks. “He was pronounced as traitor to his homeland, and we would be sheltering him, you know what that means.”

“Obidiah would be too busy, he wouldn’t have thrown him out if he was of use of him.” Bucky says.

“I think that make sense.” Sam adds.

Steve nods and makes an arrangement for the mission. The three listens carefully making sure everything is in its proper cases. It doesn’t take very long time until they finished their plan. Natasha is due to speak with Lord Rhodes and his people, while Bucky and Sam were tasked to comb through the Goba. Hopefully this is not merely wishful thinking for Lord Rhodes, and the Prince indeed lives.

.

.

.

.

_Two months later_

The door opens and a familiar footsteps resounds in the room, Steve allows a smile to grace his lips before he turns to look at his friend. The tall and short haired blonde King sporting a beard walks to the room with his arms open with a massive smile.

“Thor.” Steve welcomes the King of Asgard, he walks up to the man to accept the loose hug from him.

Thor lets out a laugh his voice low and rumbling like the thunder that heeds to his call. His royal clothes does nothing to hide his impressive built. Despite his towering built and the fact that he is a God in his own rights, his heart is welcoming to anyone.

“You look well, I am glad.” Thor tells him with a kind smile as they broke from the hug.

“Oh by the Norns,” Loki’s voice resounds by the door and Steve looks up to smile at his friend’s husband. “You two have just saw each other four moons ago.”

The God of Mischief trudges  into the living room, his jet black locks has grown long since Steve last saw him, lazily draping from his shoulders to his chest. He wears an elegant dark robe and a satin shoal hanging by his elbows. Steve’s smile grew wider as he sees a sleeping infant in Loki’s arms.

Steve laughs, “Two moons ago Thor was mopping here with the odds of the birth of his heir.”

Loki rolls his eyes at his husband and steps away from them to sit down on the coach with his infant son in his arms.

“Well my husband loves to exaggerate.” Loki tells him and Steve chuckles.

Two months ago, Thor came to his doorsteps, the God of Thunder pacing back and forth enumerating the many catastrophic things that may befall his then pregnant husband in due in weeks. Steve tried to reassure him to no avail, Steve knew Loki and though they didn’t have the best history to begin with, he knew the God of Mischief is strong enough to carry the child of the God of Thunder to full term.

“How is he?” Steve asks Loki who gently moves his son in his arms.

“Well.” Loki tells the Immortal King who smiles.

“Oh he has my eyes!” Thor tells Steve proudly, and as if on cue the infant in Loki’s arms stirs awake, it’s small hands fisted in the air closing and opening. His eyes flutter opens and Steve sees the eyes Thor speaks of, it indeed looks like his father’s.

“Such unfortunate thing.” Loki says making Thor dramatically gasps.

“And what does that mean?” Thor asks, “You said I have the most beautiful eyes of all Asgard.”

“Not as beautiful as mine.” Loki says before kissing the temple of his son.

Steve smiles, Asgard is a Kingdom that has long been known to homes of Gods. They were dubbed as such due to their unbelievably long lives and they’re beyond normal abilities, some of them could summon forces of nature like Thor. Thor met Steve not too long ago when Steve decided to end the era of conflict, Thor supported him with this decision. Right then Asgard has only been in peace for a good two years since Thor had fixed the cracks between the relationship of Asgrad and Jotunheim—a small Kingdom up north of the aforementioned.

Thor walks towards Loki speaking in a gentle voice to address their few months old son. Loki and Thor had a peculiar relationship which perhaps where the conflict began. Before Thor was crowned heir to the throne, he knew Loki as a brother. They were raised in the same home, called the same people mother and father until that fateful day. Truth was later revealed that the God of Mischief was a child Thor’s father took from the arms of the fallen King of Jotunheim, from the truth that had been spoiled to them Loki grew furious, he left Asgard and returned home.

The King of Jotunheim and his Queen were both initially furious of the abduction of their eldest son whom from the years they’ve thought was dead, killed by their enemy. War began and many lives were loss in the process, one of which is of the Queen of Asgard herself. The incident woke both Thor and Loki of the consequences of the actions of each party, though the Queen Mother of Asgard was not Loki’s birth mother, it was undeniable for the Jotun Prince that she loved him verily.

Peace was restored soon thereafter, Asgard and Jotunheim agreed to a treaty between both Kingdoms and from there on things stirred towards where it is now.

Steve could attest to the fact that _now_ took quite a long time, and that is _long_ even for the Immortal King’s standard. They danced around each other for quite sometime before any of them finally had the guts to tell the other of their feelings. Loki often omit to speak of the day but Steve knew well, Thor after all confined to him first before the God of Thunder asked the other to be his spouse.

Loki gently passes the now awake infant in Thor’s arms before he adjusted his clothes and looked at Steve. His green eyes almost always takes Steve aback, they are mask with mirth and confidence of someone of royal birth.

“I’ve heard of your actions about Iro.” Loki tells him.

Steve nods, he walks to the side of the room and pours Loki a cup of his favourite tea. Knowing the two for a while, Steve had gone to know Loki would _never_ take his tea any other way. He carefully and gracefully offers the jet black haired God his tea to which he accepts without complaints.

“I thought you’re done with war.” He asks as he takes a sip in his tea. He could hear Thor cooing at their infant son in the corner of the room, the two are now standing by the window Thor pointing at something outside with a smile.

“I am.” Steve affirms Loki, “This is different.”

“Is it?” He asks raising an eyebrow at him. “Meddling with other territories royals has never ended good.”

“You two looks fine.”

Loki laughs, “Oh so you’re looking into making this man your lover?”

Steve sighs.

“No.” he says with a firm voice, “I have sworn to someone that I would protect the people she loved, I am only trying to keep my word.”

“But where were you when Howard Stark died?”

The question feels like a jab in his gut, Loki quickly notes the flinch from the other. The topic has always been sensitive for Steve, Loki knew this yet he felt like it has to be said. Steve has always been good with omitting things, oh yes he does not lie instead he avoids them. Loki being a God of Mischief just knew every word that could bring any man to their demise…or to the truth.

“I did…I always wanted to be there.” Steve admits as he takes a seat across Loki, his eyes shifts from the man before him to Thor and his child.

When he heard Howard had gotten married he wished he could have come to see him and tell the King that he is happy for him, that Lady Margareth would have been proud but he didn’t. When he heard Howard and his Queen had a son he wanted to send them a letter, ask for a portrait at least of the child and marvel at another genius born under the Iron Throne. When Howard’s wife was killed in an unfortunate incident, his heart mourned for his friend’s loss. Then Howard left soon after his wife, perhaps from grief too but he couldn’t look at the news, he couldn’t see him…it pained him.

“You are ridden of guilt.” Loki says and Steve winces at the bitter word striking him like a knife to his chest. “You are doing this more so because of things you failed to do for Howard Stark.”

“Please.” Steve says pleadingly, “Let me just have this.”

“Is that not quite unfair to Howard’s son?”

“Yes but the very least he would be safe, he does not need to see me as an ally.”

Loki shakes his head.

“But that’s not for you to decide, yes?” Loki says, “And if this result in a war, are you sure you are willing to risk your people?”

Steve had been asked this question by Bucky, at first he tried to deflect it at first but then again Bucky is one insistent man when he wishes to and he knows just how to reel him into admission. He had thought of it, traitor or not Howard’s son is a man of royal birth and the blood of Stark runs in his veins which does not change his vow to Lady Margareth. It was selfish, yes but he could only wish for the best.

“I could pray, hope that won’t need to come.” Steve says, “I’m tired of fighting, Loki. I am old and for the good part of it I’ve always thought of what others may have to say. I have abandoned my friend once so that I could protect more but not a day passes that I don’t wonder if his wife and his death is not on me.”

“No. It is not on you.” Loki tells him sullenly, “Death is…death comes, it always does. It does not discriminate between the sinners and the saints.”

“That is quite poetic for a being who lounges in Death’s lair like it is his own living room.” Steve says jokingly.

Loki laughs before taking a generous sip in his tea.

“I am a God, I think I’m entitled to being poetic.”

“It hasn’t come for me yet.”

Loki stops at that, he blinks and catches the change of expression of the Immortal King. He offers a small smile to the man, though many may say that a very long life is a gift Steve Rogers thought otherwise. When Loki had met Steve, he saw the pain of living and seeing everyone he has ever known to age and end in his ocean blue eyes. It almost seems like a disgusting aftertaste of sweet liquor.

“Do you think it will ever come for me?” Steve asks making Loki sigh.

“Death never speaks of that kind of thing.” Loki tells him. “Death answers to the Norns, and they are very reserve about fate.”

The King nods in understanding. He was twenty seven when time stopped for him, he was just a soldier then, he fought for his people. Acrimea was then a small patch of land, they always seem to get caught in the crossfire between the other older and bigger Kingdoms. Acrimea was not even a Kingdom yet then. Others called them a village or a tribe with a small form of government, a couple of soldiers and people.

In the wake of the war, a group of nomad came to stop by Acrimea and the following week a group of mercenaries came to retrieve them. It happened that the nomads a family of demigods whom had flee from a small Kingdom called Sakaar, they were hunted down as commodity and slaves. Despite many of opposed Steve’s decision to keep the nomads and allow them to escape, he continued on. He fought tooth and nails against the skilled men with his friend right beside him.

At the end of the said incident many among those who fought with Steve and Bucky fell to ill fate, Steve knew himself that he would not have long as well, so with the remaining strength and coherence he and Bucky have they led the family to the edge of Acrimea to escape. He remembers the youngest of the family walked up to him, he thanked her with her small hand touching his cheek. He knelt and bid her goodbye but she shook her head and said it is not the end. She kissed his temple and spoke words that Steve didn’t know of, then she walked to Bucky and did the same. The next thing they realize it have gone significantly stronger than anyone else in Acrimea.

They were able to fought and win against their enemies, their territory grew bigger and soon people appointed him King and King he is until to this day, until his immortal body perishes.

“If it is any comfort,” Loki tells him as he puts down the teacup on the side table, “no curses or incantation is perfect, there is always a _but_ in all the beauty and rainbows.”

“I think I already see the _but_ in all of this.”

Loki shrugs, he jolts as he hears his son’s whine, he looks up at Thor and saw the God of Thunder fussing at his son’s discomfort.

“I-I didn’t do anything wrong, I swear!” he said defensively as Loki approaches him with a frown.

“Yes you did, you dull creature.” Loki says as he takes their son from his father’s arms, “He’s partly Jotun, and you’re exposing him too much from the sun. He’s bound to get uncomfortable from the warm.”

Steve chuckles at the two’s antics, though they’ve become parents some of their dynamics still hasn’t change much. Thor looks at Steve to say something when a knock in the door of the room takes their attention.

“Your Highness,” Steve hears Maria Hill’s voice coming from the other side of the closed door. “General James Barnes and Lord James Rhode with some _guests_ are here to see and speak with you, what shall I tell them?”

“Oh is something the matter?” Thor asks.

Steve shakes his head, “Not really but I hope it’s some good news.”

He stands up from his seat and address Maria.

“Tell them to see me in the main living room.”

.

.

.

.

Steve’s boots squeaks against the floor in his hurry, Bucky groans at the sound. He hates the sound of his soles against the floor, anyone who has enough practice and experience in battle can always catch Steve like this, gladly not everyone is the White Wolf. He hears two more pairs of footsteps, one heavier and the other lighter almost stealthy. As soon as the door opens and the attendants announces Steve’s arrival Bucky stands up straight and flexes his sore back, the ride back and forth from Goba is a trip he’d gladly not take any day.

“Bucky.” Steve says as soon as he spots his friend standing in the corner of the room like he always does. Bucky gives him a loopside smile as he approaches him. “How are you?”

“Oh by the love of, when am I not fine?” Bucky tells him.

Steve sighs and massages his forehead, “Do you want me to answer that for you?”

Bucky shrugs and their small reunion is quickly cut off by a small fake cough. Steve steps away from Bucky and turns to where the sound came from. His eyes met Lord James Rhodes, the man gives him a wry smile and gives him a curt bow of his head.

“I apologize.” Steve tells him, “My age has gotten me quite nostalgic about everything.”

“No, it has been months, it’s only understandable.” Rhodes tells him making the King smile. “It is great to finally meet you, I would have love to speak with you more but I have more pressing matters to speak of with you.”

Steve agrees, he turns his eyes to where Thor and Loki are now both stepping in the room. Loki’s handmaiden has taken the young Asgradian Prince from Loki’s arms and steps in the side of the room. Rhodes’ expression turns serious in their presence.

“Do not worry,” Loki tells him, “We usually don’t bite.”

Steve sighs at Loki’s words and attempt to jest but always end up getting someone else worked up.

“Lord Rhodes, you can rest assure that they are not hostiles.”

“Are they?” The man says with a skeptic look.

“This is His Highness Thor Odinson of Asgard, rightful King of Asgard, and beside him his spouse His Highness Loki Laufeyson of Jotunheim, rightful Prince of the throne of Jotunheim and Queen of Asgard.” Steve says making Lord Rhodes’ eyes widen.

“A-Asgard?”

“Are you shock mortal?” Loki says chuckling. “Marvel in our presence—“

“Beloved, I think this is not the time.” Thor says.

Loki stops but rolls his eyes at the other before walking pass his spouse muttering something like _suit yourself_ before fetching himself a drink.

“Thank you Thor.” Bucky says and he feels the God of Mischief shoots him a glare.

“No, I shouldn’t be shock.” Rhodes says to himself, he looks up at Steve. “A King who has been alive for a hundred years is friends with _Gods_ , of course.”

“Weren’t you going to tell me something?” Steve asks Bucky.

Bucky nods and looks at Rhodes, the man steps aside and Steve’s eyes widen.

.

.

.

.

.

“Howard?”


	2. Roof Far From Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI GUYYYYSSS!! Thank you very much for reading my FIRST Marvel fandom related work, I'm soooo sorry if there are lots of grammar errors this is un-beta so yeah ahahaha. If anyone would like to beta this work, feel free to do so!   
> Anyways yeah, I hope you guys like it as much as I like writing, I've been writing for mostly anime fandoms until today so this is my first time writing for a western type of media fandom so yeah. Feel free to send me your suggestions and creative criticism. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter and please let me know what you think of it! Have a great day!

_“Howard?”_

A wince, then followed by a frown and then a placid expression, Steve stares and studies the man sitting there in the middle of the room in the couch with a blanket draped over his shoulder. A sense of concern floods him as he finds scrapes and injuries the more he looks at him. His dark brown hair that curls to the ends, and his angular jaw, his eyes and his lips they are all too much like his friend but it can’t be…Howard is gone.

“I would have been offended, but taking offense can take up energy and that’s what I don’t have right now.” The man says with a proud tone.

Lord Rhodes sighs and gestures towards the brunet to introduce him.

“Your Highness, this is Anthony Edward Stark of the Kingdom of Iro, son of the late King Howard and Queen Maria Stark.” Lord Rhodes explains.

Anthony Edward, Steve looks at the man, he looks very much like his father, perhaps if Steve had met Howard in an older age he would have looked exactly like him.  A smile crosses his lips at the nostalgia.

“Anyone of Stark is welcome to us.” Steve says but the blank expression in the brunet does not leave. He stares back at Steve as if observing every movement he makes.

“Tony.” The former prince tells Steve as he breaks their eye contact, he shuffles and moves and reveals a small boy sleeping beside him with his head on Tony’s lap. “I would care less if you welcome me or not, but I _need_ to have a roof over this boy’s head and you can kick me out.”

“Such a lovely child.” Loki says in the corner of the room making Tony eye him cautiously.

“I don’t care if you’re a God or what but if you lay a finger on my kid I’d—“

“Nobody will hurt you and—“

“Peter.” Tony supplies.

Steve nod.

 “Nobody will hurt you or Peter here.” he tells him but Tony remains guarded. “I have the duty to protect you and…your son.”

Steve notices something flicker in Tony’s eyes, it is fleeting but it look more like pain and disappointment but they quickly disappeared. His eyes glaze over the small child in Tony’s lap, he has Tony’s hair, his curls though were very prominent and his hair is of a little lighter than his father’s. The child is a surprising addition to the Prince to whom Steve heard had no lover or has ever been in a committed relationship but seeing how the man reacted, he would surely not have any of their aid if he is not with the boy.

“Peter is Tony’s biological son, he’s inevitably the next in line to the throne if Tony ever decides to give up his title.” Rhodes tells Steve and the King nods in understanding.

“Not like it matters,” Tony says with a scoff, “I’m in exile and they attempted to kill my son.”

“That is serious treason!” Thor says in his spot where he stands, his voice echoes and rumbles through the tall ceiling and walls of the room.

Steve purses his lips, in any normal circumstances Thor would have been correct. Tony is of royal birth, his _biological_ son should be in line of the throne but Tony has not taken the crown for so long, though he remains the heir his grip to the throne is slack, in addition to that Steve doubts he had made Peter’s existence public.

“It would be if the people of Iro knew that Peter is His Grace’s son.” Bucky says out loud much to Steve’s surprise. Tony’s expression fell as well.

“You hid your heir?” Loki asks surprised, “Who in the right mind would hide their child—“

“Apparently sane is not part of the many things I am known for.” Tony says cutting the God of Mischief who merely rolls his eyes at him.

“That is a topic that is least importance.” Lord Rhodes finally says, “Peter is Tony’s only son, he is of royal birth and there is nothing else to establish. Tony and his son would remain here in asylum until such time that it becomes safe for them to return to Iro.”

“You are just but an aristocrat Lord Rhodes, you speak to the Immortal King as if—“

“Loki.” Steve warns him, he shakes his head at the God. “I have a massive debt to the Starks, you know that well.”

Loki sighs and shrugs.

Steve purses his lips for a moment and nods. He looks Rhodes dead in the eye and offers him a handshake, to which the other accepts with a grateful grip.

“Tony is not the easiest person to deal with Your Highness, but please until things have settle allow him to stay.” He tells Steve who nods appreciatively.

“I swear to the Gods present before us Lord Rhodes.”

Rhodes nods and finishes his business right then. Once the man left, Steve allows Bucky to lead Tony and his son to their quarters. Tony settles with Peter in a single room refusing to be separated from his son. As soon as the two has settled, Loki and Thor bid him good bye as well stating something about their son getting fussy again and may need to return home to get a proper sleep.

Once everything has set, Steve calls Natasha and Bucky to his office to discuss the new addition to the household. As soon as Natasha comes in tow with the White Wolf, the King greets them and they both returned the gesture.

“I’m sorry for having you called too many times.” Steve tells Bucky who waves his hand in dismissal.

“I’m not old Steve.” He tells him casually whom which the other replies with a laugh.

“You’re almost a hundred years old Barnes, you’re old.” Natasha says before taking a seat across the desk of the King.

“Not when you look at me.” Bucky says smugly.

“Still hundred years old.”

“Please, I need both of your attention at the issue here.” Steve says earning their attention, _finally_.

Natasha squirms in her seat to get comfortable while Bucky remained in the side of the room like he always does. Steve takes a deep breath, where does he start, there are many things that he wants to know about Howard’s son and his apparent grandson as well to which Steve had no idea existed until today. Is Anthony Edward Stark perhaps _secretly_ married, where is his wife, or lover, did they die because surely he would not be that heartless to leave the mother of his son in the crumbling Kingdom of Iro under the rule of his own nemesis.

“You know I can’t read minds, right Your Highness?” Natasha says cutting Steve’s train of thoughts.

“I do not know much about Prince Anthony.” He confesses, “If he would be living here, I wish not to cause him any discomfort however I am sure I am only bound to do that with so little things I know about him.”

Natasha chuckles, “You should have said so, if you forgot that’s my job Your Highness.”

“Creep.” Bucky mutters under his breath before Natasha turns to him and smiles before sputtering a profanity.

“People.” Steve calls, “Focus?”

Natasha sighs and turns to face Steve and smiles, she composes herself. She crosses her leg over the other and begins to recite her well-made profile of the Prince of Iro.

“Anthony Edward Stark is the only child of former King Howard Stark and his wife Queen Maria Stark, heir to the throne of Iro, he had delayed the reclamation of the crown for a very long time since the last King has passed away. He was dubbed as a prodigy, though he has refused to take over the throne he has made _many_ great innovations for the weaponry business as a child up to his teenage years. He stopped creating a few years ago…about two years.”

“And his son?” Steve asks.

Natasha nods, “His son is known as Peter Benjamin Parker.”

“Parker?” Steve asks, “Is he not of Stark?”

“He is.” Bucky assures him, “Have you seen them, they look alike.”

“I have eyes Buck.” Steve says sighing, “I am merely pointing the fact that Prince Anthony has not given his son his name.”

“He didn’t know of his existence until such time.” Natasha tells him, “The boy was born as Peter Benjamin Parker to Lady Mary Parker of the Valley of Queens. She had not made known of her son’s true parentage and that remained so until a couple of months when she passed away. According to my investigation the Prince has secretly taken care of the child but did not made their relationship known to anyone else but Lord James Rhodes. The boy lived outside the palace.”

Steve is quiet for a moment contemplating the said revelations. He raises his hand to tell Natasha he has enough, he knows _enough_. He cannot divulge himself more on the man’s personal life. It puzzles him of course but those were decisions that the man decided to make surely for a good cost. There is no denying the affection that he feels for the boy.

“What happened to him on the exile?” Steve asks.

Bucky crosses his arms over his chest and begins narrating their journey. It took them three days to get to Goba right after they met with Lord Rhodes on the border. The scorching sun gave them no mercy but the will and hope of Lord Rhodes is familiar that Bucky wanted nothing but to help him. If he and Steve would have been in the same post, he would react the same as Lord Rhodes. The man told him how many of his acquaintance had told him it was futile and mad to search for the Prince in the massive dessert of Goba but he was determined that his friend is alive.

It was only on the third night of their search when Lord Rhodes confessed the reason behind his faith.

_“If there is one thing that Tony cannot do that is letting his boy down, people think he’s an asshole which most of the time is true but to his son…it’s different. He would do everything to keep his words to that boy.”_

Apparently Tony was not only exiled alone, he was thrown off with his son, a two years old boy that has honestly nothing to do with the whole mess. When the Prince’s advisor and now current Regent of Iro found out that the man had a biological son hidden somewhere he combed through all neighboring villages in search for the boy until he did find him. In attempt to kill the boy he sent him together with Tony in the exile. However Lord Rhodes believed that Tony would make sure the heavens would bend down and rain on them if it meant his son had a water to drink.

On the second week they did found them, Tony and his son has taken a shelter in a small oasis in the middle of Goba and for some fascinating way the Prince was able to build their own hut there. He had fed the two years old with small fruits from the few plants which grew around the oasis.

“We found him in the dessert, he managed to make ends meet. Honestly, I am not surprised.” Bucky tells him, “Lord Rhodes said he’s some genius.”

Steve smiles and nods, “I am glad that he and his son are well.”

“Hn, I wouldn’t jump to that if I were you Your Highness.”  Natasha says. “We don’t know what they did to him before they threw him out.”

Silence takes over the Immortal King, if living for a long time has taught him anything, one of them is the fact that every man has their demons. One way or another they acquire them. Steve remembers the anger that filled him once before when a group of highly trained men took Bucky during one of his visits to a neighboring country, he searched high and low to no avail. It took him four long years until he found where the group hid his dear friend with the help of the Romanoff’s. For four years they had tortured and studied the extent of his friend’s immortality to the point of amputating one of his arms just to see if blood loss would kill him or would it grow back.

The metal prosthesis attached to Bucky served as a grim reminder of Steve of the horrors that day served for his friend for years. Days and nights his friend would wake up in a trance state thinking he was still in the horrid prison where he was kept for years. Getting Bucky back from that point made Steve realize even the strongest men has their own vulnerabilities, the same goes for him.

“Then I would be careful around him.” Steve says making Natasha chuckle as she flicks her red hair.

“He doesn’t look like a fragile one.” She tells him and Bucky nods in agreement. “You probably had been around way too many supernatural beings, but must I remind you Your Highness that if there is a single thing humans despise besides pain, that would be the feeling of being helpless. He won’t break and I don’t think he needs to be treated like a damsel in distress.”

“As much as I would like to disagree, she is right.” Bucky tells Steve, “I think you should just let him do what he has to do.”

“I…I will take that into account.”

Natasha laughs as she stands up from her seat, “I have work to do, just call me when you need me.”

Steve nods as she exits the room. As soon as the door closes behind her Steve slips down his seat, he absentmindedly drums his fingers on the table. His mind reels back to the image of the Prince, an ache of guilt fills his chest. He looks just like the man who used to laugh beside him and tell him what flowers his surrogate sister liked best, the man who jumped with him even when Margaret and Bucky had told them it was a stupid plan whilst laughing and saying that was the stupidest thing he ever done but nonetheless the best idea, he looks just like the man he left behind in expense of peace for his men.

He wonders briefly if Tony wouldn’t have suffered this faith if he had only been there, if instead of letting go he held on and convinced Howard to choose peace instead of turning away.

“He told me he’s going to fix my arm.”

Steve looks up and he sees Bucky walking up to the window behind Steve’s desk. He stares at the garden overlooking from the room through the window.

“That’s…”

“Ambitious?” Bucky supplies. Steve doesn’t dare to speak.

The metal arm that was created soon after Bucky was returned to Acrimea was the only available known way of restoring his former way of life. Though the procedure was successful the truth is metal is a very heavy material and the possibility of corrosion had always been there. The longer the time he uses the said prosthesis Steve notices the way it messes up with his balance and gait. For years they’ve tried to search for an alternative or at least a small fix for the said problem, they ended up with none.

“He’s a Stark what do you expect.” Bucky tells him.

“Are you letting him?”

Bucky is quiet for a moment, Steve knows how sensitive the White Wolf is with the said arm. It was one of the most obvious unpleasant souvenir of his past and if Bucky has been a lot of thing since the said incident, none of it is any closer to trusting. He allowed very few people to touch him near where the metal artificial limb attaches to his body.

“Sometimes you need to do something to keep your minds off the things that haunt you.” Bucky tells Steve. “This is his way, I think I don’t mind.”

Steve smiles.

“Do you ever miss Howard?” Bucky asks Steve.

“That is…I thought I have long forgotten. I thought I was able to accept the fact that one day just like everyone we knew then, he will have to go.”

“But the Prince reminds you of him?”

“Verily.” Steve answers. “I wish I was there for Howard like I am here for his son and grandson.”

Bucky nods contented with his friend’s answer, he walks to Steve and puts a hand on his shoulder squeezing them tenderly.

“Don’t fuck it up Stevie.”

Steve merely laughs.

“Apparently human care does not come with a manual Buck.”

.

.

.

.

.

The following week since the Prince of Iro’s arrival has been uneventful, the week rolled on almost with no problem. Almost. Steve sighs as he drags himself to the cellars, he frowns as he smells something akin to burning copper and metal. He follows the scent and finds himself in one of the rooms, it should have been vacant but he can see from the gaps of the door that it has a bright light on and something…sparking? He quickly pushes the door open in fear for a fire but what he sees surprises him more.

Steve blinks a few more times, Bucky’s former artificial arm is lying on the table and the man himself sitting on a stool while Tony is bent on the other’s new prosthesis holding a soldering iron wearing a sweat soaked tunic and a protective goggles. He says something and Bucky hums before he closes the soldering iron in the piece of machinery creating a sparks. As soon as the sparks erupted Steve hears a giggle in the corner of the room and he finds a small crib where Peter stood holding a stuffed animal to his chest as he watches his father work.

In shock and panic Steve walks across the room and looks at the boy’s crib worried that some small pieces of metal could have landed there.

“Prince Anthony!” He calls earning him a groan from Tony who pulls away from his work to look at him behind the thick material of his goggles.

“What?”

“You left your son in the corner of this room in a crib?”

“He’s fine.” Tony tells him, “He likes watching me work so I brought him down.”

“This is not a place where a child should be!” Steve tells him and Bucky only laughs. “What if Prince Peter finds something on the floor and put them in his mouth.”

“He’s in the crib.” Tony points out.

“And he could climb out of it!”

“He’s smart not unlike your usual kid, he’s contented there.”

“He’s still a child and they should not be allowed to be alone like that.”

“Then what do you suggest me to do, carry him while I make your friend’s arm?” Tony says putting down the soldering iron before crossing arms. “Why don’t _you_ carry him and bring him here so he can watch.”

“W-What?”

“If you’re so insistent then on not leaving the child alone, then take him here.”

Steve shifts his eyes from Tony to Peter, the young boy scrunched his nose at the conversation. Steve sighs and gently picks up Peter from the crib that is obviously small for him. As soon as he has taken Peter in his arms the boy holds Steve’s jacket, he feels a small caution from the boy from him but it is understandable. Tony watches him like an eagle from where he stands, he points at another stool a few feet from where he and Bucky stands.

The Immortal King sits down on the empty stool and reaches for a spare goggle set on the table.

“You have to wear this, son.” He tells Peter. He puts them on the kid and adjusted the straps to his head as Tony begins to work again.

“Don’t go stealing my son Rogers.” Tony says amidst his work.

“I would not dare Prince Anthony.”

“It’s Tony.”

Steve opens his mouth to say something but Stark raises a free hand to him gesturing him to stop.

“Don’t argue with it, I’m not a Prince, spangles.”

Spangles? Steve tilts his head a little to the side in confusion until he feels a small hand tug in the sleeve of his jacket and he sees Peter looking at him. The boy shifts from his perch on Steve’s lap and removes his goggles revealing his massive innocent chocolate brown eyes.

“In Iro, Acrimea’s are star and stripes!” he explains in his small voice making Steve smile. Without a thought the Immortal King reaches to ruffle the boy’s hair.

“Is that so?”

“Uh-huh!” Peter tells him, “They call it star spangled banner!”

“You remember them very well.” Steve compliments the boy, “People calls it that.”

“Iro is called Stars and Sparks!”

“Yes. That is very clever Prince Pe—“

“It’s just Peter, Cap.” Tony tells him.

“But he’s—and why are you calling Cap?”

Tony finishes his work and puts down the soldering iron before facing Steve with an eyebrow raised.

“Weren’t you the Captain of your troops before you were King?”

“I…Well technically yes and—“

“And that is why Cap.” Tony tells him. The brunet reaches for Peter but Steve frowns and pulls the boy away making Tony glare at him. “What the—“

“You are soaked in sweat _Tony_.”

Tony huffs and walks to the back of the room where another tunic is perfectly laid down freshly pressed.  Peter giggles at something before looking at Steve with doe eyes that could melt the thickest ice caps. He finds himself smiling at the smart infant before he looks up and checks on Bucky who is merely looking at him with a curious expression. Steve looks at Bucky’s arm, the old and heavy looking arm is replaced with a shinier yet slightly darker material, the doll like joints replaced by ridges and it fit Bucky like a perfect glove.

Bucky smiles as soon as he finds Steve staring at his new prosthesis and he flexes his fingers and moves the whole limb with ease.

“It looks…”

“Great.” Bucky finishes Steve’s statement. “It’s lighter than the previous one. Just as we thought the weight has been messing up my gait and now I see the difference. I feel more comfortable working on it.”

“That’s because your poor excuse of an artificial limb is trash Barnes.” Tony shouts from the corner of the room making Bucky smirk.

“Thanks for noticing Stark.”

“No problem.”

Steve smiles. The ridges allows movement and flexibility which was limited in Bucky’s previous prosthesis, it looks lighter as well and more intricate.

“How long have you two been working on your arms?” Steve asks curiously.

“ _Us,_ probably four hours. _Him_ , five days.” Bucky answers just as Tony marches in and snatches his son off from Steve’s lap to set the boy in his hip.

Steve looks at Tony, “You’ve been using this cellar as your workshop?”

“I can’t?” Tony asks without a tinge of remorse in his words, he shrugs at Steve and continues, “I was bored, and this was empty anyways. Well if I can’t then you can take it back, I’ll just clean up the whole mess and put them back—“

“No, I was just asking.” Steve cuts him.

The King stands up to take in the whole room, though the lights were bright enough to see, he doubts if it is bright enough to work on small pieces of machinery. The table where Bucky’s former prosthesis sat looks pitiful, like one more weight and it would break to pieces. The tall shelves in the corner of the room are dusty, and surely Tony is lacking most equipment needed by a decent engineer or even an average mechanic.

He mentally notes to ask someone to bring up lists to Tony so he can have this room look like a real workshop.

“Oh…” Tony says and he nods, “I guess thanks?”

“This is your home now too Tony, you just have to say.” Steve tells him with the gentlest smile.

“I…I…yeah.”

“Alright!” Steve announces as he marches down to the door, “Now that I have found out that the three of you have been here since the break of dawn, I am expecting all of you at the dining table.”

“I ate my fucking breakfast Steven!” Bucky retorts.

“Language!”

“Food!” Peter exclaims.

.

.

.

_“Now tell me where is the boy?”_

_Tony closed his eyes as his lips trembled, two guards held him down while a young soldier kneels down before him with arms tied and face badly bruised. Obadiah stood behind the boy eyes stared down at the poor soul, in his hand he held a device Tony knew very well. The young soldier shook his head despite his whole body shook at the incoming._

_Tony couldn’t watch, bile rose to his throat and he is about to confess when he sees the young soldier stare at him, the young man perhaps no more than in his twenty years of age gave him a wry smile._

_“It’s alright Your Highness.” He said it him. “I will take it to my grave, please tell my family I died of noble death.”_

_BANG_

_Tony’s eyes widen, the young soldier’s lifeless body slumped to the floor with a gaping hole in his skull and blood gushing out from the wound soaking the carpet below. Tony feels his heart hammering in his chest, his body growing cold and the warm spray of blood roll down his cheek. He heard Obadiah’s voice again._

_“The boy, Tones, where is the boy?”_

Tony wakes up with a gasps, he jolts up from his bed and the blanket pools in his lap. Cold sweat trickled down his neck to his chest. He puts his hand on his chest to calm his heart and even his breathing. He curses under his breath as he reaches to turn the night lamp on.

He looks around him eyeing every detail of the foreign room, he takes a lungful of the scent of the room a mixture of lavender and chamomile. The walls are smooth unlike of the dungeon where he was shoved into for a month before they found Peter and threw them both to the dessert.

Peter. Yes, Peter. Tony hurries as he climbs out of his bed, he takes a robe and dresses before slipping out of the room. As soon as he is out on the hallways he finds the door to Peter’s room which is just right across his in the hallway slightly open and with a warm light seeping through. With nightmare glazed and fogged mind, concern and panic quickly takes him over. He grabs the door’s knob and opens it only to see a sight that made him feel quite conflicted.

In the middle of the room, the blonde King dressed in nothing but a loose white tunic and brown pants sways in the balls of his heels while the man held his sleeping son in his arms. Peter’s hair is messy, his brown curly hair kissing the cheek of the mighty King of Acrimea with no reservation while the boy sucks on his thumb.

The racing of Tony’s heart somehow calms down at the sight before him, it feels strange, Tony has never been trusting towards others when it comes to his son. As soon as he found he has a son, a true blood relative, he found himself wanting nothing but to protect him. Tony did _everything_ he can to protect the last thing that truly was his and Tony meant it literally in every sense of the word even if that meant he had to keep Peter’s existence a secret growing in a manor far away from him.

He thought fatherhood would never suite him. He has been alone before both his parents died, affection and love they were distant memories to him. Many people had acknowledged his lack of ability to genuinely care for another human than himself, and perhaps there are some truths in there. If he did care for others he would have stepped to the throne made the right decision to stop Iro’s weapons manufacturing, create something _more_ but he didn’t. He is selfish, arrogant and stubborn, he has everything…and _nothing._

Tony notices Steve sway to the side now facing him. The King’s expression quickly morphs to surprise and something like guilt.

“P—Tony.” Steve says in a hush voice, he blinks his sky blue eyes.

“Is something wrong?” Tony asks in his sleep laced voice.

Steve smiles as he looks at Tony, one eyebrow slightly raised than the other. Tony couldn’t help but to notice the way the warm amber lights of the night lamps of Peter’s room made Steve’s eyes glisten.

“Uhm, I-I’m sorry.” Steve begins, “Peter woke up, one of the attendants told me and he was looking for you. I-I knew you had a long day and I…I’m sorry I didn’t ask you.”

Steve’s expression quickly shifts to something close to a kicked puppy, which almost reminded Tony how his son would look at him when he wants something or did something he shouldn’t. It made something warm settle in Tony’s heart to replace the momentary panic there.

“I didn’t mean to but you were asleep and I…I hope you’re not angry.”

Tony laughs.

“I did not know you had experience with children.” Tony comments.

Steve shakes his head putting a soothing hand in Peter’s back.

“I don’t.” Steve confesses. “I never had the chance to. Peter is just…”

“Easy to please?”

Steve nods, “He’s not hard to please, the things he likes are simple.”

Tony nods, he wonders how Peter got that if he must be honest. Despite growing up sheltered, with Tony as his father, Peter never really asked for much. He finds joy in almost _everything_ , he sees the good in everyone, including Tony.

“Did he tell you why he got up?” Tony asks.

“He needed to go to the bathroom.” Steve answers and the two chuckles. “He’s very smart.”

“It’s a Stark thing.”

“I must agree.” Steve replies with a gentle smile, “And you, what got you up?”

Tony opens his mouth to say something smart or quipy but no words slip his lips. He purse his lips again, eyes darting everywhere in the room except for Steve’s face. His feet begin to pull him to the corners of the room and he begins a quiet pace.

Looking at Steve for too long made Tony unbury the sting of his past, the bitter thoughts and words uttered suddenly felt fresh to him again. Those blue eyes, blond hair, a sweet but gentle smile that always seem to look at him through that frame hanging in his father’s old office. The sting grew until it has become a full blown ache.

Steve watches Tony walk across the room, his calloused fingertips skimming over the delicate corners of the furniture of the room. Steve couldn’t help but admire the amber glow of the lights against Tony’s chocolate brown hair, and his hazel eyes. Something warm grows in Steve’s chest as his eyes seem to find the way Tony’s thick dark lashes fans against his cheek when he looks down.

“Nightmare.”  Tony answers as he tries to hide the shake of his voice at the reminder.

Steve blinks his train of thoughts as Tony’s words register in his mind.

“Do you wish to talk to about it?”

Tony smiles and raises an eyebrow at him, “You talk like you have an idea how to handle the monsters Rogers.”

Steve catches it finally, there was a cold clip in Tony’s voice that he could almost physically feel.

“Bucky had them for a very long time…sometimes it comes back.” Steve tells him ignoring Tony’s tone, “He told me that it helps when he tells someone about it.”

There is silence and Steve sighs, he carefully walks back to Peter’s bed and gently placed the boy in the bed. Peter shifts for a bit but as soon as Steve gives him a light pat in the back the boy lulls back to deep sleep. As soon as Steve has put a distance between him and the boy, Tony settles to the edge of the bed and kisses the boy’s hair.

When Tony breaks the kiss he stands up and looks at Steve, the other stares back in silence.

“I’ve live long enough Tony, I know hate when I hear it.” Steve tells Tony to which the other simply responded by looking away. “I just don’t understand why. If my presence makes you uncomfortable I—“

“Don’t overestimate yourself Cap.” Tony tells him before turning to him, his hazel eyes betray his words which confuses the King. “I’m thankful you got my kid a roof over his head, but I…I just don’t trust a guy who doesn’t have a dark side.”

Steve’s eyes widen at the others words.

“Please make sure you leave my kid’s room in five minutes.” Tony tells him as he walks to the door.

Steve’s couldn’t help but stare at Tony’s back as he retreats, dark side, huh. Steve looks down at his hands and closes his eyes as flashes of memories of people dying in his arms flashes in the back of his mind.

“Maybe you just haven’t seen it yet.” He murmurs.


	3. Sinners and Saints

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I would like to thank everyone who has left kudos, bookmarks and comments! You made me really happy with all those love and appreciation for my first Stony fic! Hopefully this isn't too long of a wait, I was caught up with real life stuff I'm very sorry if I had kept you waiting. Hope you guys enjoy today's update and please tell me what you think about it on the comments!

Steve felt an invisible wall standing between him and Tony, he is used to silence, Bucky isn’t that talkative and Natasha isn’t always around but he never felt like this to them. He doesn’t seem to deliberately ignore him, probably thanks to Peter who seems to be a lot more trusting than he thought the boy would be. He is as much of talker like his father, and he played and laughed with anyone. However despite all of those times, Tony would rarely ever speak directly to him. The brunet kept his side reserve to himself and Peter and that caused Steve to feel this massive gap between him and Tony.

It isn’t as if he expected for Tony to simply simmer and grow warm on him after everything that he went through to Iro but he felt more like he’s place in Tony’s mind is along with the Obidiah Stane and it made Steve’s stomach churn. In the dead of the night when he is alone in his room waiting for sleep to get him he would hear Tony’s words in his head and the look in his eyes when he said those words to him.

He sighs dropping the fountain pen to the side of the table and leaning against his seat, it has been two days since he last saw Tony or Peter, affairs of the state has finally caught up to him and news about Iro’s situation has been topic of numerous councils. Many other kingdoms are quite shock to see citizens of Iro coming to their borders _begging_ for temporary homes in return of their hands as labors. Many had refused which made Steve’s heart sink to his guts.

He tried to urge them but many had argued for the fear of their own resources may not  be enough. He wished he could take them all but such act may raise suspicion, especially given his history with Howard. Bucky had already told that Obidiah may have thrown Tony to an exile but the possibility of that man returning to find evidences of Tony’s death in not entirely impossible. With that in mind he couldn’t really make a big step to attract attention.

Steve however hasn’t lost all of his options yet. He looks down on the letter laid before him, Acrimea may be too known and will surely attract attention but surely Wakanda won’t. The young King of Wakanda has been a good friend, he’s also known for his charitable works, they’ve become home for those who had been victims of wars all over the regions.

The King’s sister, Princess Shuri, Steve remember her very well during one council meeting between leaders when a war sparked between two Kingdoms in the East that affected many civilians causing these people to flee away from their homes to find refuge. Despite everyone else telling it is impossible for them to take so much number of people and expect to be fed, Shuri argued with an analogy he was sure Bucky would have applaud for if he was there. The Princess argued that when it is one’s birthday celebration and people come along with friends who weren’t originally invited, people don’t tell these people to go away, even if they have a fix number of food prepared and instead they improvise to cater to everyone in the room because at the end of the day _the more the merrier_.

Steve has sent Bucky to Wakanda to deliver this plan and explain the said reason behind his decision. His presence influencing the King’s decision may still even be traced to him and then Tony, it is a risk he really can’t afford at the moment.

Steve closes his eyes intending to take a short nap when a soft knock breaks the silence of the room.

“Come in.” he says as he sits up and waits as the door reveals whoever it is.

Maria Hill slips in with a tray of tea and a plate of sweets with her. She quietly sets them to the table.

“I assume you would like to have something to eat between your work.” She says. “You’ve kept yourself in here for days Your Highness.”

“There are a lot of things to tend to.” Steve simply answers, “I was busy.”

“You weren’t for a long time.” she answers making Steve look at her with confusion, “Not until Mister Stark and his son came.”

“I hope you’re not implying that their stay has burdened this palace.”

She chuckles as she pours some tea to a cup. As soon as it is filled she walks up to Steve’s desk and gently placed it over the vacant space just a few centimetres away from the man’s hand.

“No. Burden is a strong word Your Highness, a crude one at that.” Maria says as she steps back a bit head low but not entirely looking down. “You relish their presence, I must admit it is also a fresh change for the whole palace, and for you too. You’ve been distracted is what I think is the right term.”

Steve stares at Maria for a moment before turning away to contemplate her words. Distracted, was he distracted? No, he can’t pin this on Tony’s words or the man’s mistrusts, this is his own behaviour but why? Well he does enjoy Tony’s son’s small talks, his enthusiasm almost about everything made Steve’s chest warm, he sees the life in his big brown eyes, innocence and love. He couldn’t help but think how good Tony is to Peter that even despite everything that they went through, he could smile like that.

Tony is a kind man despite his sharp words, his cold shoulders and averting gazes.

“It is a good change.” Steve says in a hushed voice, “It’s been less…cold.”

Maria smiles kindly to the man. Steve reaches to the cup of tea and takes a generous sip.

“How are they?” Steve asks, “I’ve heard from others Tony has been teaching Peter geography the last time I saw them.”

“Peter had finished memorizing the geography of Acrimea the same night, they’ve moved on to the map of the Eastern Hemisphere. He’s a _very_ smart child, Your Highness.” Maria says to which Steve nods with a smile. “Ah, but Mister Stark has not left Peter’s room since last night.”

Steve frowns at that, he looks up to Maria.

“What do you mean?”

“It seems that the young Stark has contracted a sort of fever.” Maria says, “Mister Stark hasn’t allowed many people around, a few attendants had helped him but he’s mainly the only one whose taking care of the boy.”

“Why I was not informed of this?”

Maria blinks at that, Steve’s tone has changed from soft and understanding to a firm tone.

“I am not aware that it must be known to His Highness, it is not within the priority—“

“The child is within _my_ care as much as Tony is.”

Maria’s eyes widen at Steve’s use of the exile’s nickname. Steve abandons his desk and reaches for his jacket.

“Is Tony still in their room?”

“Y-Yes, Your Highness.” Maria replies.

“Alright, please call Doctor Banner as well, tell them to see us in Peter’s room.”

Maria bows her head in a mute agreement as Steve head out of the room.

.

.

.

Steve stills before he reaches the room, concern has filled him the moment the news reached him. He couldn’t imagine Peter, the cheerful and kind boy is down and burning. Humans are fragile, he had learned it the hard way, a small cut that can get infected and rot, then kill them, a fever could sent their bodies shaking for days until it’s too tired to  fight and then just that their heart would stop beating. He has seen those images unfold before him too many times in his long existence, he couldn’t bear to know one may happen again right before him when he knows well he can do something about it.

He knocks as soon as he calms down but there is no answer, he opens the door and finds Tony holding Peter in his arms with the boy’s cheeks flush red. A pale in a corner of the room is set that stinks of the scent of puke but Steve dismisses it. Tony turns to him and his expression doesn’t seem to change much.

“Weren’t you supposed to be working with the affairs of your Kindgom?” Tony asks.

Steve nods as he takes the lack of Tony’s protest as a permission to step in the room. Tony’s hair is tousled, his white tunic is stained with food and all sorts of things. His eyes has bags under them and his exhaustion almost rivalled of his.

“They told me he’s unwell.” Steve says as he looks at Peter.

The boy stirs in his sleeps and glassy eyes opens to look at Steve. The boy blinks his tired eyes and reaches out his tucked hands to Steve.

“Steve.” He says in his small and hoarse voice.

Steve’s heart instantly melted to the boy’s voice, he walks up to him and takes the boy’s outsctreched hand.

“I am here Peter, how are you feeling?”

“’m tummy hurts.” He says in a small whine.

Steve purses his lips, he instinctively pulls his hand from Peter’s hold to brush the boy’s hair. He feels the boy’s temperature is indeed high which made him even more concern.

“How long has this been going?” This time Steve addresses Tony whose expression almost mirror’s Steve’s concern if not double.

“Almost two days now.” Tony answers.

Steve sighs.

“Why did you not inform me?”

“For what?” Tony asks with a clip in his tone, he moves slightly away from Steve as if the blond’s presence burnt him.

“To help.” Steve says, “I can help.”

“You don’t have to.” Tony says moving further away from Steve and towards the window of the room.

“But I would like to.”

Steve is surprise when Tony turns to look at him with a hard expression, and there it is again, Steve thought, in the light of the day he can see clearly how Tony’s chocolate eyes gleam with hurt.

“Why do you even care? Just leave me alone!”

Tony’s outburst made Peter flinch in his hold and the child begins to cry, Steve’s eyes widen in panic and he finds himself rrushing to their side.

“No!” Peter exclaims, “Daddy, don’t fight! Steve don’t fight!”

Steve sighs, he looks at Tony then to Peter.

“No, I am…we are not fighting, Peter.” He says in the most gentle tone he can muster. The boy begins to sniffle and before Steve could even say anything else Peter pushes himself a bit off from Tony and reaches out his arms for Steve.

Steve hesitates, he looks at Tony and the man sighs and gives a quiet nod. Steve carefully takes Peter from Tony and to his hold, he gently pats the boy’s back as his tears were reduced to sniffles. He begins to rock Peter gently and that seems to lull the boy to sleep. Tony sighs and takes a seat in a nearby stool with his eyes still trailing the two.

“I’ve called Doctor Banner, he’s…”

“A doctor?”

“Yeah, but not a physician kind but close enough.” Steve says, “He’s a very trustworthy person. I know you wouldn’t want a lot of people to know about you and Peter at the moment so I…I resorted for Doctor Banner, he’ll be able to at least tell you what’s wrong with your son.”

Tony nods as he watches Steve rock Peter to sleep in his arms.

“You said you’ve never had the chance to take care of kids.” Tony says, “But you do better job than me. You managed to get him to sleep in seconds, while I’ve been trying to do that for an hour now.”

Steve smiles ruefully, “Before _everything_ , my mother used to carry me in her arms like this. She would rock me to sleep whenever my body would remind me of my fragility. I was sickly as a young boy, small too.”

“You still remember her?”

Steve hums.

“I do. And a lot more things.” He answers.

Tony is quiet for a moment before he begins to speak.

“I have no idea what I am doing.” He confesses, “Peter’s a great kid, but I…am I feeding him right, is he playing enough, am I giving him _enough_?”

“You’re in a very complicated position Tony, it is not your fault.”

“Is it though?” Tony asks before sinking in silence.

Moments tick as Steve marvels in the smallest details of Tony’s tired face, his tousled brown locks and bags under his eyes made very little difference in making the man himself look any less. Perhaps it is a Stark thing, or maybe it’s partially because of Tony’s mother.

“I…I’ve known Howard only when he was young and unmarried.” He says trying to get Tony to forget his worries about parenting. “I am glad he’d come to marry and have a family.”

Tony scoffs, and he looks up at Steve and the King doesn’t expect that hurt expression to return in Tony’s eyes.

“Oh you tow knew each other?” he asks in thick lace of sarcasm, “I wouldn’t know, I mean he never mentioned you, maybe only about a thousand times.”

“W-What?”

Tony shakes his head, as soon as he abandons his seat he begins pacing the room.

“Every single damn day, you were always the good one, the best. No one could ever be greater than the King of Acrimea. Your face was hung on the wall of my father’s office and I…I was never better than you.”

“Tony what do you—“

“Steve?”

Steve stills and so does Tony, the two’s attention turns to Peter, who has woken up. Steve tries to smile for the boy who looks up at him with teary eyes.

“What is it Peter?”

“I don’t feel well.” Peter answers in his small voice.

“Yes, you have a fever, son you need to rest.”

“No.” Peter whines, “My tummy feels bad and I—“

The next seconds is too fast for Steve, all of a sudden Peter vomits on him from his chest to his shoulder and sadly some on his hair too. As soon as Peter has emptied his stomach on Steve, he stares at Steve and he begins to cry. Steve quickly tries to reassure him and thankfully Tony is fast enough to take Peter off from Steve.

“I-I didn’t mean too!” Peter cries loudly. Steve  turns to him with an understanding smile and waves his barf covered hands.

“Its not your fault Peter, it happens when you’re sick and you tried to warn me that’s very kind of you.”

“B-But S-Steve’s—“

“No, Steve’s not angry.” Tony reassures him and kisses his head. “We’ll change your clothes and Steve will change too, and maybe bathe too.”

Peter looks at Steve and the man gives him a smile.

“It’s okay Peter. I am alright.”

“I-I am not…bad?”

Steve laughs and shakes his head, “No, you’re okay.”

Tony kisses the boy’s head and the adrenaline seems to disappear making the boy sleepy again. Tony sighs for the umpteenth time before turning to Steve.

“You should really take a bath now.”  Tony says cringing at the smell. Steve laughs in agreement.

“Unfortunately.”

.

.

.

Steve _tries_ not to think too much about it but now that Tony has spilled a few words, he couldn’t help but want to know _more_. Could this be the reason behind Tony’s hostility? What exactly does he mean by his words?

Steve inhales the steam of the tub but it does nothing to relax him, Peter is sick and that makes him worry as well, and Tony’s words too. He takes a handful water and splashes it to his faces down to his short hair, why is this bothering him so much? Why is Tony’s hurt expression bothers and gets all the best of him in a matter of seconds? Steve hears the door creak from behind the divider of the bathroom, he has called one attendant to bring him a simple change of clothes and some towels to leave by the small counter in the bathroom.

“Please leave them there, I will be out in a few.” Steve says to the presence but instead of leaving he hears the footsteps come closer to the divider.

Steve pulls himself up a bit and to his shock a mop of short brown hair emerges from behind the divider and he finds Tony Stark walking up to him with a change of clothes and towels.

“T-Tony!” Steve exclaims in surprise as he tries to angle himself to not show too much to the other.

Tony rolls his eyes and sets the fabrics on the small table beside the tub.

“Steve!” he exclaims in mockery at the other’s surprised gesture. “Come on, I’ve got the same junk, it’s nothing I haven’t seen before Captain.”

“Tony I am in the bath!” Steve exclaims again, “What are you doing here?”

“You’re fine when some lady brings towels over you when you’re bathing but not a guy?”

“I told them to leave by the counter outside.” Steve says.

“Oh.” Tony says with wide eyes, “Oh, uhm…yeah sorry.”

Steve sighs and messages his temples. Tony looks at Steve again before averting his gaze, Steve thought this is Tony’s gesture when he intends to tell a lie, people often do it when they lie but not Tony. Not always. For Tony averting hiss gaze meant something else, it meant he is about to say something he’s not very comfortable addressing. The gesture made Steve relax his posture.

Tony looks at Steve for a moment and there it is again, he sees not the man in the painting in his father’s portrait but the man who had kindly sat down with his son to have a chat whenever the child spotted him, the man who knelt down to gently wipe off the mud from his son’s cheeks whenever the kid became too indulged in playing in the green house, the man whose blue eyes shined under the sun’s gentle caress in the morning. His muscles are toned and firmed that were muted under his royal garbs, his blonde hair darker soaked with warm water. There is tenderness that Tony has never seen before in the portraits his father kept of the Immortal King.

“Thank you.” Tony says in a hushed voice.

“For?”

“For Peter.” Tony says, “I…he likes you, very much. He’s scared that you were disappointed with what happened but you…you reassured him.”

“It really isn’t his fault.” Steve replies, “I don’t think its right t have a conversation on the bathrrom.”

“I don’t…” Tony purses his lips and gathers up all his courage. “I don’t think I can say this again, so its now or never.”

The brunet’s words silenced Steve.

“Howard…he’s never been like that to me, I never had someone to model being a father from and that made me very scared. I am still.” He confesses. “The Howard you knew, and the Howard I know are different. Maybe once he is this amazing man, someone you would imagine to raise good kids but from where I sat I was just not…”

Steve’s eyes widen, Tony’s cold eyes slowly melts into something genuine and sad. For the first time since Tony arrived he saw him _truly_ and it made his chest ache so much. The scars beneath the brown pools are so great and deep that Steve is frightened he may just get drowned in them.

“I don’t want Peter…I know what it felt like to feel not enough for that one person who matters most to you and I don’t want to happen to Peter, he’s…everything I have.”

Steve’s heart sinks.

“Tony I…”

“No.” Tony shakes his head, “You’re…not, you’re not who I thought you were.”

“Who you thought I were?”

Tony swallows hard. He remembers every single time he hated Steven Rogers, the Immortal King of Acrimea. He had lost when it begun, he used to look up to him, he read stories of him and listened to his father boast about the undefeated King, his unrivalled strength, his famous blond hair and blue eyes. He imagined meeting him, looking at his bright blue eyes and marvel in presence. He studied hard and trained harder hoping to be a King like the Immortal King, maybe not as great but enough for his father’s compliments but it never came.

He never casted a glance his way, he always, _always_ reserved all of it for Steve. He looked at him like he is the greatest thing that was his even when the other is away.

His adoration turned to jealousy and something close to loathing.

Steve took all the love that he felt he deserve and he wasn’t even there, he left his father, he never returned and yet he valued him, missed him more than anything and Tony, Tony is never good enough, never better than Steve, never will be.

“Father…Howard is right.”

“Tony, you’re…you’re a good father. Whatever he said—“

“You are a great man.”

Steve’s words die down in his tongue as Tony said those words in the gentle tone, he has only heard Tony speak in such tone with Peter. The weight of sincerity made Steve’s heart swell pleasurably in his chest it almost made it hard to breath. His blue eyes caught in the depths of Tony’s brown, it reminded Steve of the color of earth, generous and ever nurturing.

His eyes widen and his mind quickly empties when he feels Tony’s chapped lips press against his moist cheek.

“Thank you, Steven.”

 


	4. Little Push

“There’s nothing to fear here.” Bruce Banner says as he checks on the boy for the last time to make sure. He turns around and finds Steve standing in the corner of the room with his concerned hidden under the stoicism of his sky blue eyes, but Bruce knew the man better than to believe the blankness of his stare. “Steve I told you I am not _this_ kind of doctor.”

“He’s not a physician?” Tony asks with shock and panic in his voice.

Tony sits beside Peter who is currently soundly asleep in his bed, the boy’s fever has relatively gone down a few hours after throwing up in Steve’s person. The small time between Peter falling asleep and Bruce’s arrival allowed Tony to take a quick shower and change of clothes himself. Tony slips from his seat and walks to the middle of the room with an accusing glance at Steve.

“Why did you call someone who is not even sure of how to treat a kid—“

“Excuse me,” Bruce says raising a hand as if trying to get Tony’s permission to speak. When Tony doesn’t say anything the man speaks again. “I’m _not_ a physician like you would think, especially not of a child’s. But I…you would say I am still a doctor of some sort.”

Tony stares at him, silent until he nods.

“You’re a doctor of science.”

Bruce smiles and nods.

“Yes, though I am not exactly the person you should call when you’re sick or had a bullet stuck in your stomach. I may know enough thing or two for about a fever.”

Tony sighs and massages his head. He looks at Bruce and makes an apologetic look but the doctor simply dismisses it with an awkward smile. Tony turns to look at Steve but he finds his eyes catches on the King’s bright blue ones.

“It’s okay Tony.” Steve says with a smile, “It’s been a long day.”

Tony chuckles, “You think Cap?”

Steve nods.

“I will have Maria watch and alert me. Trust me here Tony, I won’t let anything happen to Peter.”

Tony stares at him, Steve sees it again, that flicker of mistrust in his chocolate brown eyes and in a second it dissolves and becomes warmer again. Something in his chest burn as he sees the change in the brunet’s eyes.

“I…Thank you Cap.” Tony says.

Steve nods again and Tony makes a quick jog to the side of Peter’s bed and kisses the child’s head before finally making his leave which doesn’t complete before Tony took a second look and comically walked backwards to his room just to make sure all is well. As soon as Tony is out of sight Bruce allows a small chuckle to escape his lips.

Steve raises an eyebrow at Bruce who turns his back and begins arranging the bottles off medicine set on the side of the boy’s nightstand.

“So he must be the son of the famed Howard Stark.”

“He is.”

Bruce nods appreciatively.

“He does look quite like him.” he says, “With all the ill reputation people spat at him, I didn’t expect to see a loving and doting father.”

Steve purses his lips, he tried to avoid knowing or listening to the words that flew around about Howard Stark’s son but it is almost impossible to do so. To be honest, Steve expected all of them to manifest the moment Tony gave those ice cold look and words the moment they met but seeing him as he truly are, especially with the exchange of words they had earlier he could not blame the man. Bucky and Natasha were correct, there is so much thing he doesn’t know about Tony and his scars.

It is easy to judge him using the news that circulated around, with his armor as thick and cold as iron, and his mask of indifference but to look pass the name and his genius takes more. Not all people would take such lengths, Steve understood very well.

“A lot of people are wrong about him.” Steve says in a gentle voice as he is reminded of the soulful look that the brunet gave him earlier.

Bruce doesn’t say anything as he watches Steve pulls up a chair next to Peter’s bed. He looks at him for a while with a fond look before smiling back at Bruce.

“Thank you for coming.” Steve says, “I owe you way too much, I don’t think I have enough of my life to repay you Bruce.”

The doctor laughs quietly as he waves his hand in dismissal.

“You’re exaggerating.” He replies. “You let me live around here and do whatever I want, that’s enough.”

“And yet I keep bringing you trouble.” The King says who gave Bruce an apologetic smile, “I am not sure myself what to do with Peter and I am almost a hundred years old, and Tony…he’s all by himself and look how far he is. He raised Peter well on his own.”

Bruce is silent for a while before he decides to speak his mind. It is no use hiding the truth, Steve knew the answer himself.

“Do you envy him?”

Steve nods.

He told himself a hundred times that family and stability those all had gone down the drain the moment Margaret left, it was then he realized the bitter truth of his existence. All people he will love would grow old before him, they would soon be taken and there he will be all alone again with his as crushed heart. He knew yearning for these, is the same as Icarus’ desire to touch the sun, he’d just find himself falling miserably down, beaten and burnt.

He couldn’t bear to love someone so much just to lose them to fate, it will drive him to the depths of insanity.

“Stop punishing yourself Steve. How long will you try and put a distance between you and everyone else?”

“I’m tired of losing people I love.”

“But that’s the inevitability of life.”

“Everyone else leaves and I just have to watch them, is that fair?”

Bruce shakes his head. He walks towards Steve and puts a hand on his shoulder.

“No but you could afford a bit of slack, Steve.” Bruce says with a smile as he looks at then at Peter. “Stop trying to hold yourself back, you can’t really dictate how you will feel towards others. It’s fine.”

Steve doesn’t say anything and Bruce decides it’s his cue to leave. The doctor quickly reminds Steve of the time when he must have to wake the boy and have him drink his cherry flavoured fever medicine which doesn’t really smell much like cherry. Bruce quietly excuses himself and shuts the door quietly behind him.

As the shroud of silence finally dawns between the King and the sleeping boy, Steve couldn’t help but be reminded of Tony’s words to him. He imagined Tony as a child, perhaps he and Peter looked quite alike around the same age. He was then so small, an only child in a massive castle and his father, Howard…he never was there for him and that why he tried his best not to repeat the same mistake his father did when he too became a father.

Tony has the right to hate him, after all he stole his childhood from him. He hated him but Tony was unlike Howard, he loved his son more and so he set those aside to give him a roof over his head and the protection he needed.

It was stupid of him to associate Tony so much to Howard, he is nothing like him.

He wished Howard stayed up late with Tony when he was sick as a child like Tony did with Peter, he wished he woke up and checked on Tony like Tony did with Peter, he wished he loved him as much as Tony loved Peter because he deserved that and _more_. Despite it all, Tony is a good man whose heart lies deep under the thick layers of scars.

Steve unconsciously finds his calloused hand reaching up to touch the side of his cheek where Tony’s lips were pressed earlier. It took him by surprise, it felt extremely fond and sincere that he swore he felt his heart clench in a deep seethed desire that he dare not to name. When was the last time that he had allowed anyone to be close as Tony was to him other than Natasha, Bucky or Sam? He couldn’t remember. The warmth was like a poison that festers from his cheek to his chest down to his stomach to the pits of his soul.

“You and your father are quite alike in many ways.” Steve whispers as he looks at Peter’s sleeping figure. “He must have not realized it himself, or perhaps he simply refuses to see it after all the years he’s been told otherwise.”

.

.

.

Two days since Peter has recovered from his fever, everything relatively came back to normal. Steve found himself in the conference room with the young King T’Challa and his ever dutiful attendant. The air in the room is sullen. The sound of Steve’s pen scratching across the papers resounds in the room joined by the low but clear voice by Wakanda’s young King.

“We’ve created makeshift camps for the refugees.” The dark skinned King says in sober tone. “Food allocation is going well, our people are helping on their own with the help of Princess Shuri’s advocacy.”

Steve nods with a smile.

“I am grateful of your help. Thank you so much.”

The Wakanda’s King shakes his head returning the Immortal King’s smile.

“It is the right thing to do as human, to help those who are in need.” He replies.

“Sometimes people forget how to be people.” Steve says. “I always believe no one is born with the desire to harm others, it is how they respond to the discriminating turn of the world on them that makes them…”

“Right and wrong is objective.” Okoye says and T’Challa nods in agreement with his royal guard. “Some may not realize what they are doing is wrong as in their eyes they are doing what is just.”

“I guess it’s what we are. People, we are weak like that.”

“It is there weakness that makes them all the more stronger than the rest.” T’Challa says, “Knowing one is vulnerable and has limited time makes one defy odds you may ne—“

“Cap!”

Steve almost knocks an ink over with his elbow as he hears the jolly and high pitched childish voice of Peter accompanied by the creaking sound of the door of the room. He turns and finds Peter pushing with all his might the massive door to the room. As he finds the boy’s bouncy and curly hair pokes out of the door he pulls himself up from his seat and welcomes the brunet running across the room.

“Cap, Cap, Cap!” Peter exclaims as he runs to Steve as soon as he finds the older man.

Steve smiles at the sight of the energetic boy and quickly pulls him up to his arms, he settles him to his hip automatically and looks at the boy. His smile is brighter than the sun outside the palace or those he has seen up on Asgard.

“Oh Peter, as much as I am glad you’re here with me, son I am with an audience.”

Peter’s eyes widen at the man’s words and finally notice the two occupants of the room aside from the blond King himself. The boy’s feels a blush creep up his cheek and lowers his head.

“’M sorry.” Peter says in a hushed voice, “I-I’m sorry, I-I didn’t mean to…”

T’Challa chuckles and stands up. Peter shyly hides his face in the King’s chest while looking curiously at the two foreigners.

“We are done with our talk anyway. There is no need to apologize Young Sir.” The foreign King says to Peter who pulls his face slightly off Steve’s chest to properly look at the older man. “I am called T’Challa, I am a King of a Kingdom called Wakanda. And you must be?”

Peter looks up at Steve as if asking for permission and the King simply nods with a smile.

“I am…My name’s Peter Parker.” He says as he pulls up a hand to wave at the man. “A-Are you like Cap?”

“Cap?”

“He calls me Captain.” Steve clarifies and the King chuckles in reply.

“Oh, yes we are alike but he is…more experienced you could say.”

Peter nods with a smile.

“Cap’s the best!”

Steve’s eyes widen and feels a blush of embarrassment being called _best_ in front of another King. He lowers his head in apology but T’Challa and Okeye simply laughs in pure amusement.

“Oh you must be His Highness number one fan, Sir Parker?”

“Uh-huh! I know so! I’ve read all of Cap’s adventures in books!”

“Oh, all of it?” Okeye asks curiously, “They are quite a number of them.”

“Hundred and six!” Peter says quickly changing his shy mood.

“Oh my, you are a smart child.” T’Challa says with a smile and putting both his hands in his back as he casually approaches the blond King and Peter. “I think my sister would adore you Sir Parker, one day if _Captain_ would permit you, we will welcome you to our palace in Wakanda. We have an impressive library we are sure you would like.”

“Bigger than Cap’s library?”

“Hm, perhaps.”

“I would like—“

“You have to ask your father first Peter.” Steve says to the boy.

“Oh I thought—“ Okeye stops herself and laughs.

T’Challa joins Okeye’s laughter and simply shakes his head.

“Forgive me Your Highness, anyways I think it is just right that we end our meeting here. I trust you may need a bit of a breather off politics and alike.”

“Are you sure Your Hi—“

“Please, you’ve been working  so much. It won’t hurt to allow Sir Parker to have some time with you, I am sure it will do you well.”

Steve smiles gratefully at T’Challa. The King glances at Peter again and simply reaches to ruffle the child’s unruly locks. In his big brown eyes there is no denying his lineage, the blood of Stark, the Iron Men flows in him, their genius flowing coursing in every fiber of the child’s growing body but he can also see something brighter in him. Peter smiles as the King pulls his hand away and the boy waves him good bye.

“Thank you King T’Challa.” Steve says.

“It is nothing.” T’Challa replies. “And to you Sir Parker, may Gods bless you.”

“Bye King T’Challa!”

Okeye leads the King out of the room quietly and when they are both out of sight Steve settles Peter down on the table carefully. He sighs and looks at the boy with a loopside smile.

“You should have knocked, son.” He says.

“Am I in trouble?”

Steve shakes his head.

“No. But next time please, you must knock so that people would know you will be coming in. Do we make an understanding?”

Peter nods.

“I’m sorry, I won’t do it again, Cap.”

Steve chuckles and ruffles the boy’s hair before settling to a seat across the boy on the table. As soon as Steve is settled Peter pulls out something inside the pocket of his lose pants and place it beside him on the table.

The King’s eyes widen in surprise and amusement as he finds a small bird-like machinery settled next to Peter. It’s body is made of small light weight metals shaped intricately like an expert artist into various figures that fits the structure of a standard robin.

“Wanna show you this Cap.” Peter presses a button behind the object and it comes to life.

The object begins to move almost exactly like how any normal robin would, it’s head turns fluidly left and right and down and it opens its delicate metal wings showing off the details of the feathers. It hops a few inches from its place towards Steve before Peter presses it’s button and freezes it to a position.

“That’s…is that a mechanical robin?”

Peter nods, “Dad made it for me!”

“Tony created that?”

“Uh-huh! It’s amazing, right Cap?”

“It is.” Steve says as he looks at the machinery again. He chuckles at the thought, oh Howard would have been damned to see his technology used for something so small and… _artistic._ “It’s beautiful.”

“Not as amazing as his gift for you!”

Steve’s mind reels at the boy’s word, he looks up at and finds Peter grinning at him.

“For me?”

“Uh-huh! Dad said, he’s working for a thank you gift for Cap, ‘cos you were nice to us when ‘m sick.”

“And he’s doing it in his workshop?”

“You wanna see? I wanna see too but Dad said I can’t ‘cos he can’t watch me while workin’.”

Steve chuckles and quickly decides to take a quick trip to the workshop. He asks Peter to take his small toy with him, then he proceeds to carry the boy out of the room. He carries him as Peter makes small talks with him as they continue where Tony’s workshop is. Steve knocks but the sound gets drown by the loud sound of metal crashing.

The King opens the door and finds Tony bent over a bench, his hands were covered with leather gloves. The room is brighter than the last time he was there and he could see blueprints of different things scattered on a desk, and on the wall. A small couch is settled against the wall beside a shelf containing boxes of screws and such.

Steve smiles and decides to make their presence known.

“I don’t think you heard us came in.”

Steve hears a curse flew from Tony’s mouth before he turns in shock. He is holding his chest and sighs as he finds Steve and Peter standing there.

“You two should stop sneaking up on people!” Tony says as he abandons his work bench.

“We knocked.” Steve replies.

“We did!” Peter adds with a jolly cheer.

Tony shakes his head and reaches to a towel perched on the corner by the chair. He quickly wipes the thin layer of sweat in his neck and face before walking towards the two with a small frown.

“Mister,” Tony addresses Peter, “I told you to stay upstair, play with Natasha or Maria.”

“Maria’s not fun.” Peter says with a pout.

“Oh is she?” Steve asks with a quirk in his eyebrow, “Does she make you do _not fun_ things?”

“She doesn’t wanna play, she says I might hurt myself.”

“You might just.” Tony says, “You should listen to older folks.”

Tony takes Peter from Steve’s arms. He looks up at the King, his brown eyes were brighter under the white light of the workshop like a pool of rich color of amber mixed with earth. Then, Tony blinks and he turns away.

“Did you notice?” Tony asks Steve as he settles Peter to a stool. “There’s a bit of green in your eyes?”

Steve blinks at the man’s observation. He shrugs and follows the two, he’s about to answer Tony’s question when he catches a glimpse of what is set in the bench where Tony was working. His eyes widen, and he finds himself walking up to it. A circular shield.

“Is this…” Steve trails as he hesitantly touches the surface, it is smooth and cold.

“Wha—Hey!” Tony calls and rushes to the bench he tries to push the shield away. “Y-You’re not supposed to see that yet!”

“Yet?” Steve asks raising an eyebrow.

Steve reaches behind Tony’s back and quickly pulls the shield towards him but Tony is quick to retract it.

“No. It’s just some crap—“

“Tony this is not trash!” Steve says as he pulls the object off the work bench and towards himself.

He examines it, it’s impressive without a flaw or bend. It’s surface is perfect. He cannot believe something so beautiful could have been done in a former cellar in the basement of his own castle by simply one man, though of course Tony isn’t any man.

“It’s just…it’s a prototype.” Tony says with a defeated sigh, “How did you even—did Peter tell you?”

Steve chuckles and shakes his head.

“Absolutely not, why would Peter do such thing?”

Tony sighs as he hears his son giggle in his seat. He curses his luck for his son who couldn’t keep a secret. He submits to his defeat and throws his arms in the air.

“Alright you got me,” he says, “But its not like its anything important. It’s just some piece metal.”

“What is it made of?” Steve asks.

Tony looks away for a bit and shifts in the balls of his feet.

“I—I saw uhm, some old armors on the basement while they were cleaning, I realized some were made of Vibranium and I—well I thought it’s nice to use it to something more…convenient.” Tony says.

Steve’s eyes widen, he looks at the shield in his hands. Vibranium, there were a few armor he did have which are made of Vibranium, but he left them and locked them away after his fall out with Howard. He wanted to forget everything that reminded him off the era of war. The armor reminded him of how same as his curse, he is only able to protect himself.

“A shield…why?”

Tony shrugs.

“You just kinda seem like the shield type of guy?”

“What do you mean?”

“Selfless, feels like he needs to protect others so much.” Tony says as he looks at the patterns of the tiles on the floor tracing them with the point of his shoe. “Shield is kinda…like you. It’s used not just to protect himself but others too not like an armor.”

Steve closes his eyes to drink the brunet’s words. Ah, why, why does Tony Stark keep digging through everywhere that it matters. He makes holding his soul seem so easy and his desires like an open book.

The King presses the shield against his forehead, _protection of others,_ yes that was…it was what he had always wished he could have done for. It is why he had become the King of Acrimea, he wanted to use his life to protect those of more vulnerable than him. He lifts his face and lowers the shield to look at Tony he stands there looking at him expectantly.

“I told you it’s just trash.” He says in a low voice but Steve doesn’t want any of it.

He crosses the small space between them and he stands almost just a feet away from Tony.

“Tony I…thank you so much. I would like to have this if would let me?”

Tony looks at the shield and purses his lips.

“It’s a prototype.”

“It’s fine.”

“It’s not perfect.”

Steve laughs.

“I believe the world is made of imperfect things, and I still believe it serves it purpose that way. It is beautiful with its flaws.”

Tony chuckles.

“Do you tell your women these things?”

“You must know now I don’t have any women to say those things at.”

Tony simply laughs and shakes his head but Steve holds their gazes.

“Would you, would you allow me to have this?”

“Well I can’t possibly use that right?”

Steve chuckles. “Well you do have a point but still—“

“Yes.”

“Re—“

“Are you gonna kiss Cap, Dad?”

Steve’s face quickly heats up at Peter’s words and Tony quickly rush to take Peter off his stool and in his arms and gives the child a reprimanding look.

“Peter!” Tony exclaims, “What in the world did you just say, where did you even learn that word!”

“Lady Natasha!” he says before finding himself in fits of giggles.

 


End file.
